springtime of youth
by paws-bells
Summary: ItaSaku Ramen-verse Non Massacre AU. In which there is an irked Itachi and a lot of scantily clad men. And no, none of whom are Gai and/or Lee.


**Title:** springtime of youth

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi

**Type:** One-shot (Complete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 4940

**Theme:** LJ Community, 50-shinobi theme #20, springtime of youth

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.

**Summary: **Ramen-verse Non-Massacre AU. In which there is an irked Itachi and a lot of scantily clad men. And no, none of whom are Gai and/or Lee.

**Created on:** 02/08/08

**Completed on:** 15/09/08

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 14/02/09

* * *

When Sakura mentioned offhand a couple of weeks ago that she would be attending a hen party for her friend Yamanaka-san and would probably be out all night long with her girlfriends, he hadn't reacted much to her announcement other than to enquire curiously about the date as well as the location of the gathering. She had rattled off the address with little preamble, repeating word for word what another friend and kunoichi had told her as part of the preparation for the celebration of Ino's impending wedding to her childhood friend and lazy tactician boyfriend, Nara Shikamaru. The bridal festivities would last the evening all the way into the early morning of the next day, and they would be spending most of the night in a quaint, little establishment in downtown Konoha.

Itachi remembered recalling that the address sounded vaguely familiar, but since he wasn't exactly an enthusiastic and frequent participant of the rich nightlife in downtown Konoha unless absolutely required, the Uchiha had brushed aside the niggling thought and promptly tucked the information away in the recesses of his mind. It wasn't until two weeks later, when Sakura had reminded him again in the morning that she would be home late, and that he shouldn't wait up if he chose to spend the night over at her apartment, that he remembered again what she had told him.

He had been staying over at her residence more often recently, and little by little, the physical evidence of his presence in her little abode had been growing steadily until her place was no longer just 'hers' but simply 'home.' She didn't seem to mind his subtle invasion; in fact, she had been more than happy to move over and make a place for him in her life and apartment, and besides, he had always been such a neat and orderly individual that it was almost impossible to detect, unless one was in her bedroom, that she was no longer the sole occupant of her apartment. Not to mention, her home was now a lot cleaner than it ever was since he started staying over more and more.

Not that she was a horrible housekeeper, but evidently, her stoic Uchiha lover had the most bemusing compulsion of cleaning up whenever he had nothing better to do, and since it seemed to make him happy, Sakura was all for a spick and span apartment. They all had their little quirks after all; she dearly enjoyed her grocery shopping, he found it relaxing to perform household chores, and they were almost a regular, domestic couple if not for the fact that he was a formidable ANBU captain in the notorious Konoha Black Ops and she was a powerful medic-nin and kunoichi whose sucker punches could easily reduce mountainsides into rubble.

They seemed like such a strange and unlikely pair, but time and experience together had proven that they were a lot more compatible than originally thought. They contrasted greatly, but with small, simple concessions, were able to complement each other as well, and as a result, he got his peaceful, contented existence with her and she received his undivided attention and affection, no matter how subtle it seemed to be.

So, instead of going back to the clan compound, he chose to return to her apartment that night, after a series of intense training and dinner with his cell members. It was becoming normal by now for him to occasionally participate in team activities with his group of ANBU outside the obligations of duty and assignments. Of course, he was still distant most of the time and didn't like to talk much, but he no longer excused himself or turned down social invitations all the time. Thanks to his pink-haired lover's chiding and cheerful, determined interference, he was learning to interact better with others. He still didn't like to socialize much, but his minimal efforts were better than none and that was enough to please her. Besides, practical as always, he quickly saw the benefits of such endeavors; his team's synergy was becoming better than before, and it seemed to be worth the effort to improve his association with his teammates.

Credit was undoubtedly hers, but she had required no additional reward other than to see his subordinates behaving with more ease and less trepidation around him, finally regarding him as one of their own and not just their superior and captain, to be respected only at a great distance. He was not so lonely and isolated anymore, and that made her happy.

However, without her presence, the house was strangely quiet and unnaturally still. The silence had been something that he had been used to for as long as he remembered, but now that he had her, the peaceful calm was almost disquieting in her absence, almost as if the entire place was just waiting with anticipation for her to return, bringing with her the warmth and liveliness that would fill up the suddenly dimmed apartment like a living entity. He ghosted through his nightly rituals; penning reports for his team and then reading a mission scroll, working silently and efficiently in the living room whilst awaiting his lover's return. Time passed slowly, and by the time he completed his tasks, it was barely ten in the evening. He did a bit more reading, but the time only continued to crawl and in the end, he made the decision to retire for the night.

She wouldn't return until a lot later, and it would be the first time that he was sleeping over without her. It was strange, but he was not used to lying in this particular bed, _her bed_, alone. It didn't matter before, but now it felt awkward without the warm, soft weight of her body curled up against his. It was harder to fall into slumber without the reassuring sounds of her gentle breathing and her comforting heat. Without her around, this little sanctuary that he had found was no longer the same, and it took him an hour or so of insomnia and staring blankly at the ceiling before he made the decision to retrieve his woman.

It was already early morning; anyhow, he wouldn't be ruining their party if it was already about to end. He would wait for her to come out and then fetch her home; wasn't that what most men would do for their other halves? With his photographic memory, it was easy to retrieve the address of the establishment that she had told him weeks ago, and after changing into more suitable attire, he slipped out into the night, silent as a wraith.

It didn't take long for him to reach downtown Konoha, but it did take him awhile to pin down the exact location of the address, and when he entered that dubious area of Konoha, he was suddenly a lot more certain about his choice to come to retrieve her.

The 'quaint, little establishment' that Sakura had spoken of that day was actually a popular strip club designed for women, located right in the midst of the red light district of Leaf.

Just by attempting to reach the building itself, the stoic Uchiha heir had already received more than five offers from different unsavory characters that he chose to ignore. Now he remembered where he had heard of the address before; the place was a favorite hangout of the infamous ex-ANBU operative Mitarashi Anko, and everyone who had worked with her in passing had to at least heard of the snake kunoichi's favorite form of entertainment.

It was nearly two in the morning by the time he arrived outside the neon-lit, gaudily flashing establishment. Loud, jarring music poured out from the seemingly posh-looking building and a pair of ridiculously muscular, somewhat scantily dressed guards were stationed outside the large doors. The Uchiha paused briefly to study the area, as well as to ponder upon his next course of action.

On one hand, male visitors were clearly forbidden into the building, but on the other, Sakura was inside, frolicking with her friends and no doubt whatever _entertainment_ they were seeking in such places. The Uchiha frowned inwardly, wondering why the Nara even allowed his soon-to-be-wed wife to visit such establishments. Then he wondered if the brilliant, if not somewhat indolent, ANBU tactician was aware that his fiancée was happily enjoying herself in a male strip club with her party of friends.

Probably not.

The two guards looked belligerently at the lean, raven-haired male as he approached, both staring suspiciously at him until he came to a stop exactly one meter before them.

Impassive onyx eyes calmly regarded the pair of bulky, heavily-muscled men currently blocking his way.

"…I would like to retrieve someone from your establishment," the Uchiha spoke at last, his tone detachedly polite as per usual.

Unfortunately, the two sentries were hardly impressed.

"This is a strip club for women customers only," one of them grunted. "No male visitors allowed past these doors."

Those blank eyes narrowed imperceptibly, but Itachi's stance was still relaxed, unthreatening.

"It would be wiser for you to step aside to allow me entrance, guard-san." He sounded mild, but there was no mistaking the hint of steel hidden within his dulcet, modulated voice that revealed the sharp ring of command behind his suggestion. Although he did not show it, the Uchiha was getting distinctly irritated. Above the glaring fact that Sakura had misinformed him about the evening's list of questionable activities, he now had this pair of dogged civilians to go through before he could get to her. He should have found another way in; it would certainly have been faster and a lot less confrontational.

Predictably, the two burly guards did not appreciate the condescension coming from the lithely muscled, seemingly weaker man. But this was a ninja village, after all, where appearance deceived and even children had the potential _and_ the ability to kill. Furthermore, the manner in which this unwelcome intruder carried himself was one of quiet confidence, his posture unyieldingly straight but his stance loose, and his calm was only further emphasized by the composed, apathetic expression on his face.

The men were instinctively wary; there was no doubt that the raven-haired male could be dangerous if he so wished to be, whereas they had been chosen for their occupation partly because of their appearances and likelihood of 'attracting' the customers. Fighting off nin were clearly stated nowhere in their resume, and once it became rather apparent to them that the man really meant business, they started to cave.

"Look, we are just doing our jobs; we don't want any trouble."

The Uchiha stared long and hard at the pair of nervous men, speaking not a word, the weight of his heavy, silent regard enough to say what he did not. Then, before their very eyes, impassive onyx bled slowly into red, the dark pupils splitting and each evolving into three separate, unmistakable tomoe.

One of the most powerful doujutsu in the world, the feared Sharingan.

Even they, mere civilians, quickly recognized the manifestations for what they were.

This man was an Uchiha, a member of one of the most noble and proud ninja clans of Konoha.

They stiffened immediately, well aware of the dangerous situation that they were currently in. If this nin chose to attack, they wouldn't even have the chance to emit a whimper before he dealt with them the way he saw fit.

Itachi did no such thing. The raven-haired male merely reached for his left sleeve, and although his action was calm and deliberate, the alarmed expressions on the guards' faces gave him pause. It didn't take a genius to realize that he had somehow managed to frighten them, and so unhurriedly, he proceeded to roll up the piece of clothing in a slow and unthreatening manner, and in the process, revealing the ANBU tattoo that was well known among _all_ the citizens of Konoha.

Those bearing the cryptic, stylized mark were powerful, deadly nin belonging to the infamous _Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai_, the lone ninja organization in Konoha answerable only to the Hokage and no one else. As such, there were certain unspoken privileges for those belonging to the prestigious group, and although Itachi didn't like to pull rank, he was astute enough to understand that this was the fastest—and easiest non-violent—way to getting into this building and to Sakura.

Of course, the men recognized the significance of the tattoo immediately. Short of outright murder and any other illegitimate activities, the ANBU were generally allowed to go where they pleased among the village. Any obstructions or denial to these powerful officials could easily wring suspicion for unlawful conduct, and for a business, that was not good news at all.

"May I pass now?" the Uchiha asked calmly, almost politely as he brought down his sleeve again.

The pair of civilians could only nod wordlessly and clear the path for the ANBU's entrance.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sakura could only look at the crazy scene before her and wonder just how she had gotten herself into this mess.

At the moment, a clearly drunk Ino was sitting beside her, enthusiastically hollering and waving bills at a suggestively gyrating auburn-haired beefcake, dressed in next to nothing and currently shaking his rather firm…_assets_ to the tacky beat of the music that seemed to pound in time with the blinding strobe lights. The small group of kunoichi that belonged to the hen party was scattered around nearby, most of them getting _entertained_, except for a rather discomforted Hinata, who happened to be sitting on her other side, cheeks red with dismayed embarrassment as she tried not to cringe every time one of the male strippers thrust his crotch in her direction.

Sakura really could not blame the heiress; she felt like cringing herself.

Despite her sunny nature, the pink-haired kunoichi did not like the loud, jarring atmosphere of the club, not to mention the incredulous sight of a group of nearly naked men prancing about before the amused, interested gazes of her fellow contemporaries, and it was only because of the fact that this was Ino's night that Sakura had decided to stay back to ensure that nothing untoward would happen to her impulsive, blonde girl friend. She had really not expected for them to visit a strip club in Konoha's red light district, of all the places to go, but Ino's natural, _destructive_, curiosity had struck again and before she knew it, the entire bunch of formidable, deadly kunoichi were tittering and giggling like virginal schoolgirls as they were being 'serviced' by the horde of outrageously handsome, well-built, and semi-nude men.

Sakura was kept busy nursing a growing headache as well as fending off overeager strippers attempting to catch her eye and that of a mortified Hinata. After all, they were the only two women in the group who didn't happen to have a man attached to them, and their outrageously flirtatious, overly done and downright lewd actions only made her pinch the bridge of her nose in growing chagrin.

How long had they been stuck sitting here, anyway?

Maybe it was due to the fact that she had already gotten used to expecting only Itachi's subtle, but no-less-electrifying, affections, and Sakura could not believe that she was feeling this way, but watching the bunch of attractive men involved in suggestive postures was not doing much for her at all. Her quiet, intense lover had spoiled her thoroughly for other men, and all she could do was mentally compare other males to him and find them severely lacking, and these strippers with their exaggerated attention and their crude, suggestive behaviors only made her frown. They were just doing their jobs, they were nothing like Itachi (thank God), and she was plain uninterested. Period.

Not to mention how she was now growing rather anxious to return to her lover; it was probably sometime in the early morning by now, and she yearned to go back to her apartment, wash up quickly, and curl into the reassuring, calm presence that was Itachi, luxuriating in his warmth and sleeping contentedly by his side. The pink-haired kunoichi sighed and sipped her cup of sake, glancing at her group of friends/colleagues/acquaintances as she did so. Judging by the way they didn't appear to want to leave at all, Sakura was quick to understand that she wasn't about to leave this establishment anytime soon.

Resigned to the fact that she was going to be sitting here for quite awhile whether she wanted it or not, Sakura opted to be the sober one, idly keeping a close watch on the semi-to-completely inebriated states of the other kunoichi instead, speaking to Hinata at the same time and making sure that no one was doing anything that they would regret the next morning. This hen party was supposed to be an evening of harmless fun; Sakura had no intention whatsoever of changing that most basic requirement, even if the definition of 'harmless' here appeared a little murky at the moment, and getting even more so by the second.

…Well, at least Itachi was safely ignorant back home and had no idea what was going on here. Sakura had never consulted upon her lover's opinion on strip clubs and the such, but she knew almost instinctively that the quiet Uchiha was probably not going to like the idea of her visiting such establishments, not to mention that she had inadvertently lied to him when he had enquired about tonight's activities. She had made the mistake of heeding the organizer's words blindly without double checking the facts first, and it had turned out that their last—and main—stop for the evening was a surprise visit to a titillating strip club filled with hunky men and meant specifically for women.

The pink-haired female toyed absently with the silly pink feather boa that the members of the group had been gifted with and wrapped around their necks the very moment they entered this building, wondering idly to herself at the same time just how she was going to explain away tonight's excursion to her raven-haired lover. It wasn't that Itachi would ask or demand for a report from her, but she was so used to telling him bits and pieces of her day that her sudden silence on the subject of this bachelorette party for her best girl friend was definitely going to rouse his suspicions.

Her deceptively distant counterpart was remarkably attentive whenever it came to her, and sometimes, that was a double edged sword. His keen attention to detail ensured that he was able to detect the tiniest bit of difference in her behavior, and more often than not, he was also able to extract what he wanted to know from her in his usual calm, impassive manner. There was simply no way in hell she was going to be able to avoid the inevitable fact that Itachi would find out about tonight one way or another, and just five minutes later, her musing was immediately proven to be correct.

Hinata's pale eyes widened slightly when she happened to notice the man who had just strode into the large, neon-lit room with the innate calm and composure of those belonging to a highborn clan, and the Hyuuga heiress had seen her Uchiha counterpart so often on village council meetings as well as together with her pink-haired friend that she easily identified him on sight.

Cool, indifferent onyx took a brief moment to readjust to the glaringly bright strobe lights and jarringly loud music that surrounded him, and then he spotted the group of kunoichi at the far corner of the room almost immediately. Paying no attention whatsoever to the strippers and other various customers in the building, he headed straight towards the familiar head of pink hair with unerring accuracy.

"S-Sakura-chan!" the Hyuuga whispered sharply with alarm, seeing that the other kunoichi had still not yet noticed the silent, swift entrance of her lover. Sakura turned to regard her friend quizzically, wondering at the sudden anxiety in the other's voice. The direction of Hinata's gaze said it all, and curiously, Sakura investigated the source of Hinata's nervousness.

Blandly inquisitive emerald met the purposefully blank, apathetic expression of the one and only Uchiha Itachi. At least, he appeared that way on the surface. Sakura could tell that the calm he was outwardly projecting was not exactly the truth. It wasn't very visible, but hidden deep beneath the veneer of unnaturally still obsidian, the banked fire that gave light to his beautiful eyes appeared to glow fiercer than usual, and _oh boy, he was irritated, alright_.

And how did he even get in here, in the first place?

"Sakura." The Uchiha came to a stop beside her, his dark eyes flickering over to the rest of the bemused kunoichi in the group before returning his regard upon her. His pink-haired lover had a long feather boa wrapped flamboyantly around her, and like the rest of the women in the club, was also sporting a pair of saucy, detachable cat-ears on the top of her head. At least she wasn't openly ogling at the scantily dressed strippers who seemed to wander around the room in great quantity.

Sakura could sense his quiet disapproval in that single word he uttered. Since it also happened to be her name, there was no way she could ignore that. Wincing inwardly, she could only give him a small smile.

"Hello, Itachi." She very nearly had to yell to be heard above the loud music. "What on earth are you doing here?"

She really shouldn't have to ask, since they both knew very well why he was visiting this particular strip club in the early hours of the morning, of all the things to do. As such, the handsome, raven-haired male gave her a blank stare, one which Sakura quickly interpreted as one of his more annoyed expressions. This was quickly becoming awkward.

"Anou…" Hinata ventured hesitantly at last. "Maybe you should leave with Uchiha-san first, Sakura-chan?"

Before the pink-haired kunoichi could say a word, the honoree of the party stumbled upon the conversation with all the grace and aplomb of a badly timed bomb.

"Sakura!" the clearly inebriated Ino called out as she giggled. "I see that you have finally decided to enjoy yourself with a man!" the blonde winked suggestively at her bewildered girlfriend, and then she turned a leering eye at the Uchiha. "Hey boy, aren't you a little overdressed for the occasion?!"

Before anyone could react, the brash Yamanaka tossed a few bills at the Uchiha's direction and proceeded to command the man to 'strip and shake to the beat like the stud muffin that he is,' much to the horrified bemusement of Hinata and Sakura.

Itachi's nonplussed expression was probably something Sakura was never going to forget for as long as she lived. Though the Hyuuga heiress looked on in dismay, the pink-haired kunoichi was not as similarly disciplined.

She started to laugh at her bewildered lover.

It came out as a choked snicker at first, partially muffled by her hand, but then her giggles grew in proportion until she was shaking with laughter and tears were leaking out of her eyes.

Meanwhile, Hinata had to pull Ino aside to explain that a) she was really drunk, b) she had just propositioned the heir to the Uchiha clan to perform a series of rather questionable activities of the immoral nature, and c) they really needed to break apart this party before somebody got hurt, and judging by the irked expression on the Uchiha's face, that may very soon be the case if something was not done quickly.

Sakura recovered somewhat from her laughing spell; not completely though, since just looking at Itachi's more visibly irritated expression now would cause her to break out into fresh bursts of giggles all over again. She was still lucid enough to do what she had to do; getting up from her seat finally, she smiled softly at her quietly aggravated Uchiha, eyes still obviously laughing at him though, before grabbing his hand and turning to Hinata and the group of kunoichi.

"Well, I'm going to take my stud muffin home now to enjoy in private," she announced cheerfully to the small horde of females in general, somehow managing to keep a completely straight face as she did so. The way she was so comfortable with openly teasing her lover was not lost on the other females, and most smiled and waved her away with their blessings. It had been an enjoyable evening for all of them, but this last event involving the Uchiha surely took the cake—icing, filling, and all.

"Go, Sakura-chan," Hinata urged softly, her own pale eyes lightening with encouragement. "Most of us are still coherent enough to navigate our way home, I think. We will take care of everything here."

And so, after a brief flurry of quick goodbyes, the pair left the club successfully and was soon on their way out of the red light district and homeward bound.

Itachi was still rather annoyed though, even if his current apathetic expression indicated otherwise. Still, he didn't release her hand as they walked home, and after a while, she looked at him affectionately.

"Thank you for coming to get me," she informed him, and although there were still small traces of amusement coloring her voice, her expression of thanks was genuine—together with the soft light in her mesmerizing emerald eyes.

He refused to be so easily placated this time around, though.

"That was not a 'quaint, little establishment,'" he told her instead, the smallest tint of ice in his mild tone rather evident to her. She wasn't surprised, having already expected that her lover wouldn't appreciate being misled, normally indifferent and even-tempered or not.

"I didn't know that we were going to a strip club," she admitted candidly, "Until we got there earlier on."

She shot him an impish glance, then.

"Were you jealous, my love?"

The soft endearment slipped from her lips naturally, and it was not the first time that she had done so. Normally, she wouldn't have addressed him with such intimacy in public either, but because there was no one around at this time in the early morning, she had unabashedly displayed her love openly for him. Unlike her other half, she was not at all shy about constantly letting him know about her feelings for him, and like always, he had learned to accept, even occasionally expect, her open, guileless declarations for what they really were—her genuine, joyful affection.

He paused and looked at her, but she was not done yet.

Raising their linked hands, she tilted them slightly until his larger one was above hers. Keeping her eyes locked to his intent, unblinking ones, she proceeded to kiss his knuckles gently, almost innocently, under his silent, completely absorbed regard.

By now, he was standing so very motionlessly, his attention firmly upon this beautiful pink-haired nymph with the ridiculous feather boa and the false cat-ears still attached to the top of her head.

_His_ beautiful pink-haired nymph, and she had proclaimed it enough for him to come to the explicit understanding that she was truly his, and no one else's.

They both knew that he would not have it any other way.

Then, those doe-like eyes of hers sparkled with renewed mischief, and she nipped him lightly, playfully, with her teeth.

"Would it help if I said that none of those men could even hope to compare to you, my glorious, beautiful lover?" she teased softly, clearly laying it on a little too thickly.

He merely continued to look steadily at the pink-haired female; her eyes aglow with amusement and her full lips slightly tilted to form a small smile even as she allowed their hands to drop back between them.

It always was mystifying to him, how she could so easily lay down all her vulnerable feelings and affection for him to see, and not feel threatened by the fact that he could so easily choose to reject them—and hurt her badly—if he so wished to.

If he had only asked, she would have told him that she knew he would never do any such thing. She trusted him fully, blindly, completely, and it seemed that _he would believe in her, too_.

It was getting almost impossible to remain annoyed with her for extended periods of time. She had a way of coaxing him that not even his own mother possessed, _and she probably knew it too_.

He looked away from her at last, deliberately ignoring the growing smile on her sweet face and blandly fixing his attention ahead of them instead. The fact that he had tightened his hand slightly over hers was not lost on her at all, and after awhile, she squeezed back, her expression one of simple contentment as they continued to make their way home once more.

Everything was alright between the two of them again, though belatedly, he had a feeling that she probably wasn't going to forget about tonight's incident anytime soon-

As if on cue, a small snicker escaped from the petite kunoichi beside him.

"…my stud muffin." Her laughter was soft and filled with genuine amusement—at his expense. He tried not to heed her gleeful merriment, but ignoring her had always been a considerably challenging task, even from the very beginning. He persevered dourly, though. "Wait till your brother hears this."

"…"

_

* * *

_

::owari::

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

I hope that you dear readers had gotten a bit of laughter from this installment. I have no idea where I got this plot from; it literally occurred to me out of nowhere and I figured that I really needed to write it down. I'm also not sure if Konoha even have a night life, or even strip clubs. Heck, I have never even been in a strip club before, but thank god I have such a good imagination (and unlimited access to the web), eh?

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As for Itachi's cleaning compulsion, well, I figured that he would be quite the perfectionist, maybe even a bit obsessive-compulsive, esteemed clan heir or not. Okay, I actually suspect more than just 'a bit;' perhaps 'a lot,' judging by his determined 'do or die'/'train until catatonic' character in canon-verse.

Besides, someone had to be doing all that housework, after all.

…I'm evil, I know.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Ramen-verse Itachi and Sakura appear to be more emotionally invested in each other compared to my other verses' ItaSaku pairing, but that's because the timeline for Ramen-verse's installments is a lot longer, and therefore it stands to reason that Ramen!Itachi and Ramen!Sakura would appear to be much more intimate and comfortable with each other as the sequels progresses.

In this instance, I would also like to state that although Itachi is becoming very close to Sakura, he is _not completely unable to function without her_. I know I have implied that he could not sleep without her around in this sequel, but do keep in mind that was only due to the fact that he was alone in _her_ apartment, _her_ bed, that he finds it strange to be without her for the very first time alone in her home, and therefore it had bothered him.

I can assure you that Itachi can function (and rest) very well during missions, at home and pretty much everywhere else. It is just that he associates Sakura's apartment with Sakura herself, and therein lays the strangeness when the mistress of the house is not with him when he is so used to being with her in the house.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As for Sakura's endearment towards Itachi…well, I can only say that Ramen-verse Sakura is an extremely open, affectionate creature. Even if Itachi isn't exactly very vocal about his feelings towards her, she is still more than happy to tell him hers. Of course, she doesn't go about screaming out her love for him in the most inappropriate times and places, though, since what they have is clearly private—and for his ears only.

I can assure you that Itachi certainly doesn't mind being claimed as Sakura's 'love.'

**xXxXxXxXxX**

…I really pity Ramen-verse Itachi sometimes; I have made him into such a dork, but to his credit, oh, what an adorable dork he is, yeah?

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic, thank you.

--paws


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